Tag Archives: David Ragan

The notorious “Monster Mile” jumped out and attacked the competition Sunday when Elliott Sadler came down on the No. 38 of David Gilliland on lap 18, triggering a massive pileup that ended the days for a number of Chase contenders before they could even get into a rhythm. Aside from Sadler’s blunder, though, it was Kyle Busch who once again stole the headlines by claiming his fourth win of the season. Busch is undoubtedly the hottest driver in the series right now; but how does his start stack up against Jimmie Johnson’s impressive start to 2007? Check out this week’s edition of Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup to find out.

Can Kyle Busch continue his dominating start to the season? Will Jeff Burton ever fall off the lead lap? And can Tony Stewart ever get a Goodyear tire he likes? Read this week’s Fantasy Picks 'N' Pans to find out, and in the process, see if our experts can help your roster avoid the wrath of the Monster Mile. We'll do our best to get your fantasy team on track to the top of your league.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the NASCAR schedule, and the twists and turns that take place over those four-and-a-half hours of racing led to plenty of opportunities for writers to change their votes in the rankings. As you might expect, Kasey Kahne made a leap from unranked to well inside the top 15, while Denny Hamlin's blown tire cost him more than a few positions at the end of Sunday's race; he tumbled from third to well down the bottom half of our list. Where did Hamlin, Kahne, and the rest of your favorite drivers wind up? Read on below to find out, and be sure to comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with the latest rankings by our Frontstretch experts.

The All-Star Race is all about the money, with a cool $1 million on the line, no one holds back and mayhem typically ensues. Or, as this year's event showed, it can turn into a parade around the track where track position dominates the event and there is almost no passing for the lead. Read on to see if our picks are all-star or all washed up.

Darlington Raceway may have had a facelift, but no matter what you do to the old girl, she’s still the track too tough to tame. A ton of grip and a hard tire meant that the cars went faster than ever before, but they also hit the wall harder and more often than ever before. The track claimed several victims during the night, and had some surprise top-10 finishers. Read on to see if you agree or disagree with the latest choices by the Frontstretch writers.

May 12, 2008Couch Potato Tuesday, Cup SeriesComments Off on Critiquing NASCAR TV: FOX Wines And Dines The Lady In Black To A Second Straight Saturday Night Success

After a less-than-stellar outing at Talladega, the FOX Sports broadcasting team again turned in a performance deserving of the Emmy Award they received just a few short weeks ago. In fact, the last two races at Richmond and Darlington -- both on Saturday nights -- have come off nice and smooth, with few mistakes and less of the fluff that turns off and jades so many avid fans. But just like the right side of Kyle Busch’s race-winning car, the TV coverage wasn't without its fair share of Darlington stripes. Here is a breakdown of how FOX fared during this Mother's Day Weekend event

Despite a different track surface, it was the same ol' Darlington Saturday night, with the Lady in Black’s walls jumping out and biting drivers on several occasions... including race winner Kyle Busch. But while there were some adjustments made to the track, adjustments made to this week’s “HOT” list are minimal. Busch continues to dominate. while Junior Nation continues to enjoy the success of the No. 88 team with another top five. Still, two new drivers are featured in this week’s “WARM” and “COLD” lists heading into All-Star weekend. To see who those teams are, check out this week’s edition of Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup.

Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR, and all our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Sprint Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out of the mouths of the drivers, crew members, and the car owners themselves. This week, here’s a sneak peek at what a select few were thinking following the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

May 7, 2008Cup Series, Mike Neff, Power RankingsComments Off on Frontstretch Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond

Richmond is considered by many fans to be the best track on the schedule. Well, the race this week didn’t really provide much excitement for the first 382 laps, but boy, did it make up for it in the final 28. Denny Hamlin dominated the race from the drop of the green flag, before a flat tire proved to be his undoing. Then, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on his way to breaking his winless streak when "one of those racin’ deals" knocked him out of contention -- a wreck that came courtesy of contact with Bad Boy Kyle Busch. All the while, Clint Bowyer was taking it all in, just waiting for his opportunity to steal the victory. The twists and turns of the race gave our panel a plethora of reasons to move people up and down the rankings... read on to see if you agree or disagree with the latest choices by the Frontstretch writers.

When push does come to shove, a lot of how Talladega turns out is pretty much a crapshoot more than anything else. So, while putting together the Top 15 this week, some staff voters gave drivers credit for their efforts on the plate track... while others seemed to discount the luck involved in finishing up front. Read on to see if you agree or disagree with their latest choices in the Frontstretch Power Rankings below.